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Suggestions for the Year's Study 



HISTORY D. 



VASSAR COLLEGE 




Suggestions for the Year's Study 



HISTORY D. 



VASSAR college, vOc^W^, ^>4 ^^A.dC^^x^ 



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SECOND EDITION, REVISED 



Poughkeepsie, New York 
1913 



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Copyright, 1908 
Lucv M. Salmon. 



Gift 
Author 
(P«rtM) 

SEP 13/3 



"Take these hints as suggestions, not as instructions, and improve 
on them as you grow in experience." 

"Historical genius consists in an unlimited capacity for taking 
pains." — Bishop Stubbs. 

"The ideal college education seems to me to be the one where 
a student learns things he is not going to use in after life by methods 
that he is going to use. The former element gives the breath, the 
latter element gives the training." — President Hadley, cited by President 
Lotvell in his Inaugural Address, October 6. igog. 

"The divine faculty is to see what everybody can look at." — 
/. R. Lozi'cll. 

"To find things out for oneself is the very essential of education." 
— Percv Gardner. 



PREFACE. 

Special acknowledgement is made of the invaluable assistance 
given by Miss E. M. Rushmore, Vassar College, Class of 1906. She 
has prepared a complete list of all the newspaper material in the 
Vassar College Library and has thus made it available for the stu- 
dents in History D. 

To Miss F. M. Brewer, Vassar College, Class of 1908. of the 
Poughkeepsie Nezvs-Press I am much indebted for helpful suggestions 
in regard to the practical side of newspaper work. 

L. M. S. 
Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 
September, 1913. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

Preface. 

I. Introduction. 

Description of Course D. 

What the student brings to the general elective courses in 

History. 
What the student should gain from History D. 
H. The Library. 
HI. Material 

recommended to every student, 
available to every student, 
to be consulted elsewhere. 
IV. The work of the semester : 

analysis of the newspaper into its component parts, 
comparison of newspapers, 
classification of newspapers, 
study of the newspaper, 
as a personality, 
as a business enterprise, 
as an organization, 
in its relation to other activities, 
with reference to its special problems, 
clippings. 
V. Conclusion of work of semester : 

the newspaper as historical material, 
credibility, 
limitations, 
value. 
VI. Opinions on the importance of the press. 
VII. Relation of History D. to other courses in History. 



HISTOKY D 

I. INTRODUCTION. 

1. Description of the Course. 

"Course D. Periodical Literature : Its use as historical material. 
First semester [2]. 

Professor Salmon. 

The object of this course is to show the place of periodical litera- 
ture in the study and writing of history. It aims to train the student 
to read the newspaper and other periodicals from the historian's point 
of view and to appreciate their value and their limitations as histori- 
cal records. It therefore considers the questions of the collection of 
news, the control of the press by political parties or other influences 
and agencies, the legal responsibility of the press, censorship and 
freedom of the press, and kindred subjects. Newspapers and maga- 
zines, daily, weekly and monthly, American and foreign, of different 
periods are studied, analyzed and compared through the preparation 
of weekly topics." — Vassar College Catalogue. 



2. What the student brings to the general elective courses in History. 

What has been gained from one year's college work in 
History. 
From the subject studied: 
a bird's-eye view of Western Europe, 
an appreciation of historical developments, 
an understanding of the unity and continuity of history, 
historical perspective, 
a background for work in other subjects. 

From the study of the subject: 

ability to use books, 

to analyze material, 

to vivify historical facts, 

to respect facts, 

to value accurate, painstaking work. 

to understand the difference between reading iiistory 
and studying history, 

to appreciate the difference between history and his- 
torical record. 

to understand what the historian does in writing his- 
tory, 

to connect the present with the past and the past with 
the present, 

"The roots of the present lie deep in the past, 
and nothing in the past is dead to the man who 
would learn how the present comes to be what it 
is." — Stiibbs. 

3. What the student should gain from History D. 

From the subject studied: 

an appreciation of 

the value of periodical literature as historical material, 
the limitations of periodical literature as historical 
material. 

From the study of the subject: 

to analyze a newspaper with reference to the authori- 
tativeness of its component parts, 

to discriminate in the use of newspapers, 

to learn what may be legitimately demanded of a 
newspaper, 

to make newspaper clippings with judgment, 

to be more observing, 

to draw conclusions, 

to be more independent in work, 

to be more accurate in work. 

"I have watched the work of graduates of colleges 
from Canada to the Gulf, from New York to the 
Golden Gate, and the failing nearly all had to com- 
bat was a lack of accuracy." 



II. THE COLLEGE LIBRARY. 

The Vassar College library contains files of important periodicals 
located as follows : — 
Basement : 

Neiv York Herald, 1843— 

New York Tribune, 1862-1886; 1895— 

New York Evening Post, 1900 — 
Center : 

Newspaper room. 
North Wing — Floor : 

Current periodicals, 

Indexes to periodicals, 

Le Moniteur. 
North Wing — Gallery : 

General periodicals. 

IIL MATERIAL. 

A. Recommended to every student. 

Personal subscription to a daily newspaper. 
World Almanac for the current year. 
The Constitution of the United States. 

B. Material available to the student. 

1. Bibliographies. 

Rushmore, E. M. Tin tray with complete cards for all 
newspaper material in the Vassar College library. 

Slauson, A. B. Check List of American Neivspapers in 
the Library of Congress. 

Check List of Foreign Nezvspapers in 

the Library of Congress. 

Ingram, J. V. Check List of American Eighteenth Century 
Nezvspapers in the Library of Congress. 

Griswold, A. T. Annotated Catalogue of Nezvspaper Files 
in the Library of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. 

James, E. J. Nezvspapers and Periodicals of Illinois, 1814- 
1879. 

Matthews, A. Bibliographical Notes on Boston Nezvspapers. 
1704-1780. 

Lord and Thomas. A Complete List of Nezvspapers, Maga- 
zines and Periodicals in the United States and Canada, 
omitting such as do not insert Advcrtisenients. 

St. Louis Republic. Century Club of American Nezvs- 
papers, 1909. 

British Museum. Nezvspapers published in Great Britain 
and Ireland, 1801-1900. 

Dionne, N. E. Inventaire chroiwlogique des journaux et 
revues publics en langue anglaise dans la Province de 
Quebec de 1764 a 1907. 

International Bureau of American Republics. English 
Nezvspapers in Latin America. 

2. Indexes. 

Poole, W. F. Indc.v to Periodical Literature. 

Guthrie, A. L. Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. 

New York Tribune. Index, 1893-1906. 

Evening Post. Editorial Index to the Nczv York 

Evening Post. 1907 — 

Times. Index, 1913- 



Street, A. I. Pandex of the Nezvs. 1908. Jan.— Sept. 1909. 
Index to Dates of Current Events, 1911 — . Cumulation 
quarterly, semi-annually, and annually. 



Reprints and digests of early papers. 

The American Weekly Mercury. 4 v. 1719-1723. 
Buckingham, J. T. Specimens of Newspaper Literature, 

2 V. 1850. 
Weeks, L. H., and Bacon, E. M. Historical Digest of the 

Provincial Press. Vol. 1, 1911. 
Nelson, Wm. Some Account of American Newspapers. In 

Nezv Jersey Archives, First Series, vols. 11, 12, 19. 
Old South Leaflets, No. 78. The Liberator, No. 1 ; No. 137, 

The Dial, No. 1 ; No. 157, The Lorvell Offering, October, 

1845. 

Special files. 

Nezv York Herald, 1843— 

New York Tribune, 1862-1886; 1895— 

Nezv York Evening Post, 1900 — 

Niles' Weekly Register, 1811-1849. 

Harper's Weekly, 1857 — 

The Nation, 1865— 

The Illustrated London Nezvs, 1842-95 ; 1901— 

The Times (London), 1911 — 

Manchester Guardian, 1911 — 

Le Moniteur, 1789-1868. 

V Illustration, 1858-1862; 1896— 

Die Woche, 1901— 

Descriptions. 

Dana. C. A. Art of Nezi'spaper Making. 1895. 

Dibblee, G. B. The Nezvspaper. 1913. 

Given, J. L. Making a Nezvspaper. 1907. 

Martineau, H. Society in America, 1:109-115. 

Rogers, J. E. The American Nezvspaper. 1909. 

Steffens, J. L. "The Business of a Newspaper," Scribner's 

Magazine, October, 1897. 
Stone, M. E. "The Work of the Associated Press," The 

Century, April-August, 1905. 

Histories of the Press. 

Avenel, H. La Prcsse francaise au vingticnie siccle. 1901. 
Bourne, H. R. Fox. English Nezvspapers. 2 v. 1887. 
Curtis, G. W. "New York and its Press," in Orations 

and Addresses, v. 1. 
Eliot, J. "Narrative of the Newspapers printed in New 
England," Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., 1798, v. 5; 1799, 

v. 6. 
Funck-Brentano, F. Figaro et ses Devanciers. 1909. 
Hapgood, H., Maurice, A. B., and Sanborn, F. B. "The 

Great Newspapers of the United States," The Bookman, 

February, March, April, June, 1902. 
Hudson, F. History of Journalism in the United States 

from 1690 to 1872. 1873. 
Kitchen, G. Sir Roger L' Estrange. 1913. 
Putnam, G. H. Books and their Makers during the Middle 

Ages. 2 v. 1896-97. 
Thomas, I. History of Printing in America. 2 v. 1810. 



10 

Work of Eminent Editors and Journalists. 

Blowitz : Memoirs ; by H. G. S. A. de Blowitz. 1903. 

Bowles : Life and Times of Samuel Bowles ; by G. S. 
Merriam. 2 v. 1885. 

Bryant: William Cullcn Bryant; by J. Bigelow. 1890. 

Dana: Life of Charles A. Dana; by J. H. Wilson. 1907. 

Delane : Joht Thadeus Delane Editor of '"The Times;" 
by A. I. Dasent. 2 v. 1908. 

W. L. Garrison : William Lloyd Garrison ; by W. P. and 
F. J. Garrison. 4 v. 1894. 

W. P. Garrison : Letters and Memorials. 1908. 

Godkin : Life and Letters of Edzvin Laurence Godkin ; by 
R. Ogden. 2 v. 1907. 

Greeley : Horace Greeley ; by W. A. Linn. 1903. 

Stillman : Autobiography of a Journalist ; by W. J. Still- 
man. 1901. 

Special phases of the newspaper. 
Advertising: 

Advertiser's Cyclopaedia of Selling Phrases. 1909. 

Sampson, H. The History of Advertising. 

Scott, W. D. The Psychology of Advertising. 

The Theory and Practice of Advertising. 

Stead, Wm., Jr. The Art of Advertising. 

Lewis, L. The Advertisements of The Spectator. 
Ethics of the newspaper : 

Bergengren, R. "The Humor of the Colored Supple- 
ment," Atlantic Monthly, 1906, 98:267-273. 

Curtis, G. W. "Newspaper Ethics," in Ars Recte Vivendi, 
93-136. 

Gorren, A. "The Ethics of Modern Journalism," Scrib- 
ner's Magazine, 1896, 19:507-513. 

Paracelus. "Confessions of a Provincial Editor," Atlantic 
Monthly, 1902, 89:351-359. 

Smith, Monroe. "The Dogma of Journalistic Inerrancy," 
North American Reviezc, 1908. 187:240-254. 
The War Correspondent : 

Anderson, H. M. "The War Correspondent," Bookman, 
1904, 19:24-41. 

Baker, R. S. "How the News of the War is Reported," 
McClure's, 1898, 11:491-495. 

Landon, P. "War Correspondents and the Censorship," 
Fortnightly, 1902, 52 : 326-337. 

Millard, T. F. "The War Correspondent and his Future." 

Scribner's Magazine, 1905, 37 : 242-248. 
MacDonagh, M. "Can we rely on war news?," Fort- 
nightly, 1898, 69:612-625. 
For additional articles on these and on other phases of 
the subject, consult the cards in special tray arranged 
by E. M. Rushmore. 



11 

9. The Newspaper as historical material. 

Rhodes, J. F. "Newspapers as Historical Sources," His- 
torical Essays, Chap. 4. 

Vincent, J. M. "The Newspaper as a Source of History," 
Historical Research, 215-230. 

Nelson, W. "The American Newspapers of the Eigh- 
teenth Century as Sources of History, Awmal Report of 
the American Historical Association, 1908, vol. 1. 

10. Evolution of history from the periodical records. 

A British Officer. "The literature of the South African 
War, 1899-1902." American Historical Rcvietv, Jan., 1907. 

"The literature of the Russo-Japanese 

War," American Historical Revieiv. April, July, 1911. 

11. Freedom of the press. 

Putnam, G. H. Books and their Makers during the Middle 
Ages. 2 v. 1896-97. 

The Censorship of the Church of Rome. 

2 v. 1906. 

Duniway, C. A. The Development of Freedom of the Press 

in Massachusetts. 1906. 
Rutherfurd, L. John Peter Zenger. 1904. 
Hunt, F. K. The Fourth Estate. 1850. 
Cremieux, A. Jm Censure en 1820 et 1821. 
Geiger, L. Das junge Deutschland und die Preussische 

Ccnsur. 1900. 

Interesting Collections to be consulted elsewhere. 

American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass. 
Public Library, Boston, Mass. 
Massachusetts State Library, Boston, Mass. 
State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 
Townsend Collection of Clippings, Columbia University, 
New York Citv. 



12 

IV. THE WORK OF THE SEMESTER. 

1. Analysis of the newspaper into its component parts. 

news 

foreign 

domestic 

local 
headlines 
editorials 
advertisements 
correspondence 
reports 
illustrations 
occasional features 

book reviews * 

dramatic news 

art criticisms 

2. Comparison of newspapers from the point of view of 

frequency of appearance, 

daily, weekly, monthly, 
geographical locality, 

American, foreign, 

metropolitan, provincial, 

national, sectional, 
contents, 
external appearance and general arrangement. 

3. Classification of newspapers according to 

control by 

individual 
stock company 
political party 
ecclesiastical organization 
other agencies or influences 
object 

business enterprise 
promotion of special interest 
organ of special 

party 

creed 

industry 

4. Study of the newspaper 

a. As a personality; 

external characteristics 

form; size; type; illustrations; quality of paper; 
color of ink; place of advertisements, of tele- 
graphic news, editorials, 
internal characteristics 

political bias; economic bias; independence; sensa- 
tionalism, 
names suggesting 

object; ownership; nationality; patriotism; ideal- 
ism; sensationalism; occupations; mythology; 
religion; literature, 
mottoes 

"Neutral in nothing." 

"Tros Tyrhtsquc mihi miUo discriminc agetiir." 

"All thenews that's fit to print." 

"All the news that's worth reading." 

"All the news the day it happened." 

"It's all here and it's all true." 

"The Past— the Present— For the Future." 



13 

conscious object 

"The design of this paper is to diffuse 
among the people correct information on 
all interesting subjects, to inculcate just 
principles in religion, morals and politics; 
and to cultivate a taste for sound litera- 
ture — [Prospectus of the Evening Post, 
No. 1, November 16, 1801." 

b. As a business enterprise; 

capital, 
mechanical, 
intellectual, 
manufacture of paper, 
cotton rags, 
wood pulp. 

estimated cost in timber of a year's circulation 
of a popular newspaper, 
effect of inventions on the character and the circula- 
tion of the newspaper, — 

steam navigation, the railroad; the telegraph, 
cable, telephone, trolley; typewriter, linotype, 
multiple press ; stenography ; wireless telegraphy, 
effect of reduction of price on 
quality of paper, 
circulation, 
industries fostered by growth of newspapers, 
manufacture of paper, 
distribution by means of 
newspaper trains, 
newsboys, 
subscription agencies, 
clipping bureaus. 

c. As an organization; 

office organization, 

editors, 

reporters, 

correspondents, 

business manager, 
collection of news, 

foreign, 

domestic, 

local. 

d. In its relation to other activities; 

the government, 

federal, 

state, 

local, 
the church, 
public health, 
the library, 
literature, 
education, 
industry, 
social questions. 

e. Its special problems; 

schools of journalism, 
the endowed newspaper, 
newspaper ethics, 
the Sunday paper, 
the comic supplement, 
syndicate articles, 
special editions. 



14 

5. Clippings 

a. Subject. 

Choose, as far as possible, one 

related to history, 

of permanent importance, 

that will continue through the semester. 
Eliminate 

irrelevant questions, 

ephemeral subjects, 

sensation, 

crime. 

b. Method. 

Consider that of 
clipping bureaus, 
newspaper offices, 
collectors, 

Columbia University, 
History Teacher's Magazine, 1 : 127. 

c. Arrangement. 

Consider best ways of 
dating, 
mounting, 
classification, 
preservation. 

d. Frequency. 

Advantages and disadvantages of clipping 
daily, 
weekly, 
monthly, 
at end of semester. 

e. Place. 

Drawing tables in library basement may be used. 



15 

V. CONCLUSION OF WORK OF THE SEMESTER. 
The Newspaper as historical material 

1. Credibility of the newspaper 

current opinions 
"You can't believe anything you read in the papers." 
"I know it's so, I read it in the paper." 

2. Limitations of the newspaper 

errors of statement 
"isolation" of 
sources of 
errors of judgment 

3. Value of the newspaper 

as affected by 

conditions noted in previous sections, 

responsibility, 
legal, 
personal, 

anonj'mity of 
editorials, 
reviews, 
freedom of the press, 
censorship of the press, — 

America, 

England, 

France, 

Germany, 

Russia. 

The Church of Rome, 
libel laws, 
indirect limitation of freedom of the press, 

ownership of the press, 

economic conditions, 

ecclesiastical conditions, 

the advertiser, 

source of news, 
proposed restriction of circulation of news, 

crimes, 

domestic unhappiness, 

photographs of individuals. 

4. Application 

How far is it possible from the press 
to reconstruct 

the life and interests of a community, 

political conditions, 

industrial conditions, 

college life, 

the educational system. 
to interpret public opinion. 
How far does the press fail to record the probable 
interests of a community. 



16 

VI. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PRESS. 

1. Its place in education. 

"An earnest man ought to understand above all other social 
things his own times." — Francis Lieber. 

"Read also the Reviews ; they will keep you abreast of the 
current of modern literature." — James Russell Lozvell. 

"A journal or newspaper presents a transcript of current 
life, a history, a transcript of past life." — B. A. Hinsdale. 

"Bryce's American Commonwealth is essentially a work of 
history. That he deals with a set of contemporary events in- 
stead of successive ones is an accident of his subject. He has 
taken a cross section of history, instead of a longitudinal sec- 
tion." — Arthur T. Hadley. 

2. Its power. 

"Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a 
thousand bayonets." — Proverb. 

"Give me but the liberty of the press, and I will give to the 
minister a venal House of Peers — I will give him a corrupt 
and servile House of Commons — I will give him the full 
swing of the patronage of office — I will give him the whole 
host of ministerial influence — I will give him all the power 
that place can confer upon him to purchase up submission 
and overawe resistance; and yet armed with the liberty of 
the press, I will go forth undismayed : I will attack the 
mighty fabric he has reared, with that mightier engine : I 
will shake down from its height corruption, and bury it be- 
neath the ruins of the abuses it was meant to shelter." — 
Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Hansard Debates, February 6, 
1810, p. 341. 



VII. Relation of 
History D to 
other Courses iu 
History. 






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